Monday, April 18, 2011

Accidentally ate gluten and passed out immediately

Sports bra and leggings on, healthy breakfast of oatmeal in my belly, ready for the gym, and crash. I sat on my bed to answer a text message at 9:30 a.m., and the next thing I knew I woke up at noon. I felt uncontrollably sleepy within five minutes of finishing my breakfast. I thought oats were gluten free like quinoa, but this particular package doesn't specify it is gluten free, and obviously it wasn't because of how my body reacted.

Being gluten-free is new for me. With today as an example, I'll be practicing some trial and error in the process. I did find an extensive list online of foods to avoid. I'm going to email it to my phone and save the list to have it on me at all times. It seems like there are so many foods I CAN'T eat now! The only thing I can do is try to look on the bright side and find out all the foods that I CAN eat. :)

Here's the list:
Abyssinian Hard (Wheat triticum durum)
Alcohol (Spirits - Specific Types)
Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
Barley Hordeum vulgare
Barley Malt
Beer
Bleached Flour
Blue Cheese (made with bread)
Bran
Bread Flour
Brewer's Yeast
Brown Flour
Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
Bulgur Wheat
Cereal Binding
Chilton
Club Wheat (Triticum aestivum subspecies compactum)
Coloring
Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Couscous
Dextrimaltose
Durum wheat (Triticum durum)
Edible Starch
Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)
Emmer (Triticum dicoccon)
Farina Graham
Filler
Food Starch
Fu (dried wheat gluten)
Germ
Graham Flour
Granary Flour
Gravy Cubes4
Groats (barley, wheat)
Ground Spices4
Gum Base
Hard Wheat
Kamut (Pasta wheat)
Malt
Malt Extract
Malt Syrup
Malt Flavoring
Malt Vinegar
Miso4
Macha Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Matzo Semolina
Mustard Powder 4
Oriental Wheat (Triticum turanicum)
Pasta
Pearl Barley
Persian Wheat (Triticum carthlicum)
Poulard Wheat (Triticum turgidum)
Polish Wheat (Triticum polonicum)
Rice Malt (contains barley or Koji)
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Semolina Triticum
Shot Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Shoyu (soy sauce)4 Small Spelt
Soba Noodles4
Soy Sauce
Spirits (Specific Types)
Spelt (Triticum spelta)
Sprouted Wheat or Barley
Stock Cubes4
Strong Flour
Suet in Packets
Tabbouleh
Teriyaki Sauce
Textured Vegetable Protein - TVP
Timopheevi Wheat (Triticum timopheevii)
Triticale X triticosecale
Udon (wheat noodles)
Vavilovi Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Vegetable Starch
Vitamins4
Wheat Triticum aestivum
Wheat Nuts
Wheat, Abyssinian Hard triticum durum
Wheat, Bulgur
Wheat Durum Triticum
Wheat Triticum Monococcum
Wheat Germ (oil)
Wheat Grass (can contain seeds)
Whole-Meal Flour
Wild Einkorn (Triticum boeotictim)
Wild Emmer (Triticum dicoccoides)
The following items may or may not contain gluten depending on where and how they are made, and it is sometimes necessary to check with the manufacturer to find out:

Artificial Color4
Artificial Flavoring6
Caramel Color1, 3
Dextrins1,7
Flavoring6 Hydrolyzed Plant Protein4
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein4
Maltodextrin8
Modified Food Starch1, 4
Modified Starch1, 4 Mono and Diglycerides1
Monosodium Glutimate (MSG)1, 4
Natural Flavoring6
Starch1, 4
Wheat Starch

* 1) If this ingredient is made in North America it is likely to be gluten-free.
* 2) Mono and diglycerides can contain a wheat carrier in the USA. While they are derivatives of fats, carbohydrate chains may be used as a binding substance in their preparation, which are usually corn or wheat, so this needs to be checked out with the manufacturer.
* 3) The problem with caramel color is it may or may not contain gluten depending on how it is manufactured. In the USA caramel color must conform with the FDA standard of identity from 21CFR CH.1. This statute says: "the color additive caramel is the dark-brown liquid or solid material resulting from the carefully controlled heat treatment of the following food-grade carbohydrates: Dextrose (corn sugar), invert sugar, lactose (milk sugar), malt syrup (usually from barley malt), molasses (from cane), starch hydrolysates and fractions thereof (can include wheat), sucrose (cane or beet)." Also, acids, alkalis and salts are listed as additives which may be employed to assist the caramelization process.
* 4) Can utilize a gluten-containing grain or by-product in the manufacturing process, or as an ingredient.
* 5) Most celiac organizations in the USA and Canada do not believe that wheat starch is safe for celiacs. In Europe, however, Codex Alimentarius Quality wheat starch is considered acceptable in the celiac diet by most doctors and celiac organizations. This is a higher quality of wheat starch than is generally available in the USA or Canada.
* 6) According to 21 C.F.R. S 101,22(a)(3): "[t]he terns 'natural flavor' or 'natural flavoring' means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof. Whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."
* 7) Dextrin is an incompletely hydrolyzed starch. It is prepared by dry heating corn, waxy maize, waxy milo, potato, arrowroot, WHEAT, rice, tapioca, or sago starches, or by dry heating the starches after: (1) Treatment with safe and suitable alkalis, acids, or pH control agents and (2) drying the acid or alkali treated starch. (1) Therefore, unless you know the source, you must avoid dextrin.

May 1997 Sprue-Nik News.
(1) Federal Register (4-1-96 Edition) 21CFR Ch.1, Section 184.12277.
(2) Federal Register (4-1-96) 21 CFR. Ch.1, Section 184.1444

* 8) Maltodextrin is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of corn starch or potato starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes. (1) Maltodextrin, when listed on food sold in the USA, must be (per FDA regulation) made from corn or potato. This rule does NOT apply to vitamin or mineral supplements and medications. (2) Donald Kasarda Ph.D., a research chemist specializing on grain proteins, of the United States Department of Agriculture, found that all maltodextrins in the USA are made from corn starch, using enzymes that are NOT derived from wheat, rye, barley, or oats. On that basis he believes that celiacs need not be too concerned about maltodextrins, though he cautions that there is no guarantee that a manufacturer won't change their process to use wheat starch or a gluten-based enzyme in the future. (3) - May 1997 Sprue-Nik News
1. Federal Register (4-1-96) 21 CFR. Ch.1, Section 184.1444
2."Additives Alert", an information sheet from the Greater Philadelphia Celiac Support Group, updated early in 1997. This specific information comes from Nancy Patin Falini, the dietitian advisor for the group and a speaker at a national celiac conferences in the past few years.
3. From the CELLIAC Listserv archives, on the Internet, Donald D. Kasarda, posted November 6, 1996.
Read more at http://www.healthboards.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-179237.html?ktrack=kcplink 

2 comments:

  1. OMG girl, i didn't know that you're on the gluten-free diet now.
    How did it go so far? you know what, Richard is also on the gluten-free diet!!! he's doing it not because he's allergic to gluten products but due to his thyroid problem....(that's another story..)

    So when he was visiting me in Taiwan, I even found him gluten-free soy sauce so that my mom can cook some special meal for him. He was very happy about the food my mom prepared. :)

    You should come visit me in Taiwan. I miss you girl.

    Big hugs,

    Betty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Betty,

    It's so nice to get a message from you on my blog, sweetheart!

    You have to tell me how gluten affects one's thyroid. I'd love to hear about it. :)

    Life has been so much better, since I've been avoiding gluten. My stomach feels better and my skin is clearer. I have less allergies too (not just food, but dust, pollen etc).

    How is Richard feeling on a gluten-free diet?

    We'll have to exchange recipes. Have you been practicing gluten-free cooking?

    Big hugs right back,

    Love the Eating Chickity in LA

    ReplyDelete